In The Know

Stow Soccer Club Newsletter

Letter from the President

Spring is here – finally! The birds have returned, the crocuses are popping up, and the sounds of kids playing soccer is in the air. From high schoolers to the little ones, pink cheeks and smiles are all over the fields of Stow.

I’m very excited about some recent efforts we’ve been working on to improve the Stow Soccer Program.

Last fall we put into place a new, separate program for our first graders – U7 – that was a huge success. The small sided games and fun atmosphere surpassed my greatest expectations, and I’m grateful to all those who were involved in its planning, implementation and the parents and coaches who support the program.

We are continuing to look at improvements to our in-town programs and this spring we have brought in Play Soccer to run our Munchkins and Transitions programs. Play Soccer is the same group that runs our summer camp and we are thrilled with their curriculum, enthusiasm and professionalism. I think the kids are going to love it!

We are also continuing to offer support to all of our volunteer coaches by providing coaching clinics and training courses.

The next big project for Stow Soccer is to migrate to a new website including online registration. Mike Doiron has been leading this effort and putting in a tremendous amount of work, but we feel that it will be a huge step forward for the club, and make your lives easier as well.

If you are interested in learning more about how Stow Soccer works, have ideas for how the organization can do a better job, and have a desire to give back to the over 400 kids who play every season please contact me at your convenience to learn more about volunteer opportunities.

Thank you for supporting your child playing soccer.

Respectfully,

Dave Stepp
President
Stow Soccer Club

Successful First Season for New U7 Program

By Martha Streeter, U7 Coordinator

Stow Youth Soccer started a new U7 level of soccer last Fall and the players are looking forward to the Spring season coming up. The Stow U7 program was a great success! The U7 program is a great way to introduce the game of soccer to our youngest players. The biggest objective with the U7 program was to provide a fun and positive environment in which coaches could introduce basic soccer concepts and skills.

The U-7 teams (6 yr. olds), play "Micro" soccer. It involves short games on small fields with no goalie, small pug nets for goals, and 4 players to a side. Games are four 10 minute periods. This allows these young players plenty of opportunity to run and get a maximum number of touches on the ball, without worrying a lot about playing positions. Teams have small rosters of players, and four U7 games are played simultaneously. Stow U7 teams play only other Stow U7 teams. The emphasis is on beginning skills of ball handling and passing. Scores are not kept and there are no standings.

The approach is very low-key with an emphasis of having fun! We know that we have had a successful season because we have a bunch of players back this Spring already asking when practice and games begin!

Stow Summer Soccer Camp

Location - Pine Bluff Recreation Fields
Date - July 14 to July 18

Soccer Tots
(4 – 6 year olds)

Group 1

9:00 am – 10:30 am

$80

Group 2

10:45 am – 12.15 pm

$80

Soccer Juniors
(7 – 9 year olds)

Half Day

9:00 am – 12:00 pm

$105

Full Day

9:00 am - 3.00 pm

$180

Fast Track
(10 – 12 year olds)

Half Day

9:00 am – 12:00 pm

$105

Full Day

9:00 am - 3.00 pm

$180

Play Soccer introduces the Stow Summer camp 2008. Players will be split into age specific groups and enjoy a week of fun and games with a soccer ball. The games will be based around this summer’s European Championships and will introduce players to new skills and techniques. In the week with professional British soccer coaches there will be a get wet event, a parents vs. camper game and a European Championship competition! All players will receive a free soccer ball, water bottle and T-shirt.

All players will receive a free soccer ball, water bottle and t-shirt. To register, please go to www.playsoccer.com or for more information call 508-460-6363.

Update on the Snow Property

By Jim Henry

At Special Town Meeting (STM) and the ensuing ballot in December, the Town of Stow voted to authorize the purchase of the Snow Property for the purposes of preserving agriculture and the creation of recreational fields. The preliminary design presented at STM showed two baseball fields with soccer/lacrosse fields overlayed on the outfields to meet the Town’s growing recreational needs. In addition, the site would have tennis and basketball courts with the ability to flood the courts in the winter to form an ice skating rink.

Since December, a working group has been formed to facilitate moving the process from the Special Town Meeting to construction. So far, the working group has met with the Stow Zoning Board of Appeals to secure a special permit since the land was zoned residential and required such a permit to place recreation facilities there. In addition, the group has been investigating an issue related to the Bose Corporation’s well. Apparently, a protective area around the well exists (zone 1) that prohibits certain activity with that area such as fertilization. Bose’s zone 1, depending upon the amount of water they are using, goes more than fifty feet onto the Snow Property. Through our investigations, we discovered that Bose has never obtained an easement to protect their well, but we also understand that the Town would like to work with Bose and accommodate them as much as possible.

The working group will continue to work with both the Town and Bose to resolve this issue. We are confident that this matter will be resolved and the process of constructing fields on the Snow Property will continue to move forward. The property has a signed purchase and sale agreement from the seller and is expected to close in mid-April.